


Stay

by Mel_is_a_Queer



Category: Smosh
Genre: Break Up, Broken Engagement, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Literal Sleeping Together, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Moonlight, Other, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Post-Break Up, Rain, Sharing Clothes, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:09:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28782501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mel_is_a_Queer/pseuds/Mel_is_a_Queer
Summary: Reader (gender unclarified) breaks off their year-long engagement with their fiancé and finds themself locked out of the apartment due to their haste to leave. With a phone quickly dying and a torrential downpour leaving them soaked, Reader has to act quick. Before panic overtakes them, they manage to call one Damien Haas.See the comfort offered by Damien as they settle in at his place for the night, Reader learning that sometimes all you need is a friend who makes it a little easier to smile.
Relationships: Damien Haas & Reader, Damien Haas & You, Damien Haas/Reader, Damien Haas/You
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	Stay

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everybody! Hope you're all feeling okay and getting through whatever is happening in your life right now. It's been a difficult year so I'm probably not alone in needing some comfort. This story takes place in a non-pandemic world so y'all don't have to worry. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!  
> Please comment and leave some yummy, yummy kudos!
> 
> Love you all! <3

I freeze. Listening to the echo of the slammed door ringing in my ears raises those tiny welts along the back of my neck. Setting my shoulders and looking straight ahead, I wait for Liam to speak.

It’s been almost a year since he proposed—a sweet and heartfelt experience, but something has changed in me since then. The certainty I felt when I accepted has long since faded leaving me emptier by the day. With every morning I wake up to him next to me in our bed, in our apartment, the more certain I feel about what I know I need to do. I couldn’t be sure how long I’ve been suppressing these feelings, but I do know that I can’t ignore them any longer. It’s finally time to be honest. To end things. We both deserve that much.

The subtle weight of a palm appears against the small of my back and I stiffen involuntarily. With a deep breath, I turn to face him. He deserves my honesty.

“I can’t do this.” The words come tumbling out before I could stop myself. I raise my eyes to meet his stare just in time to see his face fall. I can’t hide this anymore. I watch silently as a deep flush covers Liam’s face, imploring me to change my mind. But I can’t. Why is this so hard?

“But why?” His voice wavers into the otherwise silent room. He takes my hands in his as he continues to stare into my eyes, searching for a sign that this isn’t what we both know it is. “Please. Talk to me.” He squeezes my hands tightly as if it will change what I have to say.

The pang in my heart is almost enough for me to give up. My shoulders slouch and it’s all I can do to keep my eyes locked with his. “I just can’t do this anymore…” My voice is barely above a whisper but I know he’s heard me when he shuts his eyes. “Not with you,” I add, letting my eyes finally leave his face.

He attempts to mask everything behind stone features but I’ve known him too long and too well. He knows this too and lets a tear slip down his cheek as his eyes find my face. “But…” he chokes, “we were happy.” My hands drop from his as he seeks my face, begging me wordlessly to look at him but I can’t. I thought I could but now I just can’t bear to see the pain dressing his face.

My eyes look everywhere but at him, finally finding a greyish corner to focus on. “I’m just-” I hesitate. I want to be honest but we can never come back from what I have to say. I gather my courage and focus on the shape of the words on my tongue. They’re not sharp but they will cut deeper than any blade could reach. “I’m just not in love with you.”

My eyes seek Liam’s again and that’s all I can take. His face is wet and blotchy, his eyes puffy and red, and boring straight through me. I did this. I made him feel like this. I choke on a rising sob in my throat before letting my gaze cower back to the floor. “I’m sorry. I just can’t do it anymore. I-” I pause again, I have to tell him the whole story. “I’m so sorry. I can’t keep pretending with you. It’s not fair to either of us…” My voice trails off. With a final glance towards Liam, I see how much I’ve hurt him. “I should probably leave for a while.” These final words whispered into the silent apartment, barely loud enough to hear, hang heavy in the stuffy air around us.

“Yeah…” He mumbles, shifting his weight back on his heels, “that’d probably be best.”

He doesn’t manage to look at me as I begin to walk to the door. I reach for my things on the table but the flash of my engagement ring steals my attention instead. I look back to see him watching as the warm metal slips off of my finger, a soft clanging echoing in our ears as I walk out the door.

The stairs blur as I run down to leave the building. I couldn’t wait for the elevator to get to our floor or handle being stuck in the tiny metal box through a 5-storey descent. I throw open the door to the outside and am greeted by a torrential downpour that soaks through to my skin in seconds. I’ve been planning this for months but I never thought about what I’d do after. All of my things are still in the apartment. I don’t even have my keys. There is nowhere to go. No keys mean I can’t get into the lobby and I can’t drive anywhere either. I’m stuck.

Hunching my body to act as a rain shield, I pull my phone from my pocket and see it’s two in the morning. The air is cold and shivers begin to wrack my body as I flip through my contacts, my eyes find one name jumping from the screen: Damien.

Looking around, I see no other options. The rain is coming down hard. The building across the street is almost completely enveloped by fog and a low battery warning gives the final push to beat down my rising panic and call him. It rings three times and I’m sure I’ll be stranded now. But suddenly his voice crackles through my speakers and it’s laced with the scratchiness of sleep. The sound of his voice sends me into a fit of sobs as the relief finds my knees pressed into the hard asphalt.

Whatever Damien was about to say to me for waking him up is now replaced with clear concern for my well-being. “Just tell me where you are. I’ll be right there.” I almost miss the sound of suppressed panic cutting through his usually cheerful tone.

I’m not sure how long it’s been since he asked me the question but I finally manage to form the sounds of my address through stiff lips.

My arms fall below me to catch my body from falling against the ground. I watch as the phone battery gives out leaving the muted reflection of a crazed being staring up at me from the black screen.

Rough hands are suddenly clamped around my shoulders and pulling me up against a firm figure. A soft sensation rubs against my bare arms and I notice absently that it’s caused by some kind of cloth that cocoons my body. My legs suspend from the pavement and an arm secures my placement behind my back. Dampened cotton kisses my cheek as my head settles against a warm chest.

The loss of warmth from the body as I’m placed in the seat of a car leaves a sense of vacancy and I’m vaguely aware when I reach out for the man once again but find nothing but the cold glass of the door. Each bump in the road lulls me to calmness and the gentle rocking is seducing me towards a dreamless sleep.

A timidly gruff voice stirs me from slumber. I look around and am being pulled from the front seat of a car. The clanging of keys is being drowned out by the water pelting down all around us. Taking in the details of my surroundings is difficult with the heavy rain but I can make out a house mere steps away and the face of Damien smiling weakly down at me. I let his eyes meet mine before looking away, placing my feet on wet asphalt one at a time. He places his arm around my back to keep me balanced and guides me towards his front door.

Turning the key, Damien steps aside to let me walk through and out of the rain. Immediately, I am enveloped in a welcoming warmth and the remnants of sleep dissipate. Damien’s hand guides me further inside as he joins me in the narrow foyer. I can only manage to watch him as he pauses to remove his shoes and jacket, placing the items to dry over a rack. Loud purrs and mewls call my attention to two fluffy cats who have flocked to greet us.

“Hi girls,” Damien says, “I brought a friend home with me tonight so play nice.” I can’t hide the giggle that bubbles out at seeing his domestic side. Suddenly, he turns to me, a bashful smile lighting up his face even in the dim lights, “Don’t worry about them. They’re the sweetest little geese you’ll ever meet.”

His casual demeanor sets my nerves at ease and I reach a hand out towards the cats. The black one bumps her head into my palm before sauntering off into the darkness of the house. The grey one doesn’t come too close, standing timidly behind Damien’s legs, but doesn’t make any sign of aggression towards my presence. I look up to catch Damien’s eyebrows raised and eyes slightly widened. I quirk my own brow at him, meeting his gaze.

“It’s nothing really, it’s just…” he stumbles to answer my unasked question, “Freyja is never usually this polite to strangers. She usually just hides behind the furniture and watches from the shadows for hours, and Zelda usually runs away to a different room.” My cheeks heat up at the flattery and I am strangely honoured that Damien’s cats seem to like me so quickly.

I take hold of the offered hand in front of me now and allow Damien to help me back to my feet. He leads me down a hallway, towards a darkened bathroom. Flicking on the light switch, a warm glow is cast over the room.

“I figured you could probably use a hot shower or something to warm up after being out in that downpour. I—I mean, it’s totally up to you, I don’t mean to pressure you or anything…” He trails off, rubbing the back of his neck.

The phantom cold twists and burns through my bones. Heavy cotton clings to my skin reminding me of everything I left at the apartment. Damien has already been so kind to me, I couldn’t ask for anything more from him. Guilt once again tries to find hold in my chest but this time I am strong enough to resist it.

“Oh—uh—you probably need something dry, huh?” Damien swallows thickly.

I think about his offer. Everything about him seems too good to be real but Damien is sincerely an exceptionally genuine man. I look back up at the flushing man in front of me in the tight bathroom and the mental image of me wearing his clothes is clear in my mind. Blinking harder to clear the sight from my eyes, I can feel heat creeping up to the tips of my ears. Thankfully, the rational part of my mind isn’t preoccupied in this daydream and I manage to squeak an agreement.

“Uhm, yeah. Okay then…so, you—uh,” Damien steadies himself with a breath, “yeah. You can just start up the shower when I leave and while you’re—uh—you’re in there, I can just hang a couple towels and some clothes on the back of the door for you?”

“Oh—uhm—sure. That’s perfect.” I say, looking away from his face to trace the lines of the tile floor. He shows me how to set the shower and where to find whatever I should need. When I feel confident, I glance up again, catching his back as he disappears through the doorway.

After the door clicks behind him, I set the shower extra hot; both in effort to warm myself but also to excuse any flush that is bound to colour my skin tonight. Stepping into the heated stream, all my thoughts silence for a moment, a steady pounding against my back relaxing my shoulders and neck. I am so lost in pleasure of the contrast between the warm water and frigid skin, I almost miss Damien tapping at the door. I allow him to step inside to leave me some clothes and towels and just as quickly, the door clicks again and he is gone.

Losing myself to my thoughts, I let images and feelings pass through unhindered. Memories of breakfast, my unchecked to-do list, the view from my old apartment window—all the things from my day mixing and washing away with the water. But now I can’t block out the image of Damien’s shy smile or the memory of his tone changing from irritation and sleep to unblanketed concern for me. A vision of Damien and I in a cozy bathroom together in the evening crawls into the front of my mind like vines, rooting deep inside my subconscious.

_Cheerful laughs ringing into the room as we stand by the sink, each with a small brush in hand, as we take turns painting cold masks onto each other’s faces. He gets some on my eyebrow and I take the glob onto my finger before smearing it across his nose. I catch the smug grin on my face in the mirror. Looking back to him, I miss when he sets his brush on the counter and with his two free hands he retaliates by poking at my sides eliciting squeals and gasping laughter from me as I squirm desperately trying to escape the merciless tickling. His hands slow and finally fall away from my sides and we both stand there heaving for air in the otherwise silent room. But it’s a good silence now. A wide grin crinkles his eyes and I feel my own face pulled into a smile._

I feel excited to have a genuine friendship. It feels as if the last eight years have been spent so closely connected to Liam that I lost track of my other relationships. I rinse off the last of the suds and step out onto the mat. I see my pile of soaked clothes has vanished from where I left them hung on the towel rack but now fluffy towels and a sample of Damien’s wardrobe are considerably more appealing.

Exiting the bathroom, a muffled clicking sound draws me towards the living room. Peering around the corner, Damien’s back is silhouetted by the flickering of the television. My soft footsteps draw his focus to my presence and in the dim light, I see a small smile tug at his lips. I let his raised hand take mine as he guides me to the sofa and the velvety warmth of a throw beckons me to relax deeper into the comforts as Damien’s figure disappears into the kitchen. The darkness slowly becomes more natural to my eyes and I take in more details about the room. There are framed photos on the wall, small figurines that line a table, two silver dishes rest on a worn cat-climber, and an assortment of consoles are nestled in the television stand.

I’ve never really realized how much you can learn about a person from just their living room. Back in my apartment, everything was less personal—everything had to look a certain way for Liam’s friends. We had a handful of photos framed in the common areas but everything else was a mere imitation from bland home-design magazines. Here, though, I can look around and see Damien in all the little details.

When he returns, I see he’s carrying a tray and he reveals that it’s filled with fruits, chocolate squares, crisps, and cookies. He sets the tray on the table in front of me and I reach out to take a deep-red raspberry. He sees that I am satisfied then leaves the room again, this time returning with a glass full of water. Damien holds the drink towards me expectantly and I take it, wrapping both hands around the glass gingerly.

“You really should drink something,” he hums.

I raise the cold glass to my lips and take a few sips. Risking another glance towards Damien, I see his attention focusing on making out the buttons on his remote. I nearly finish the entire glass as I watch him lit up in flickering colours as he continues flipping through channels, finally abandoning his search in favour of streamable content.

Before he even manages to settle on a title, I feel myself beginning to drift off again. He must notice my empty glass because I faintly hear him taking it into the kitchen and back, likely refilled. I haven’t eaten much today so I sluggishly sit forward and take a gooey, chocolatey-chip cookie and it’s heavenly.

Sitting next to me, Damien throws his arm behind us to rest on the back of the sofa and I settle into the comforting warmth that radiates from his body. I see him select some title I don’t recognize before I drop off into a light sleep only vaguely aware of an unfamiliar firmness beneath my cheek.

Letting my eyelids open slowly, I expect to be greeted by the bright light of dawn cascading through my window but am instead greeted by a blanketing blackness. I feel a pair of arms loosening the hold around me as my head comes to rest atop a pillow. I catch the moonlight reflecting in Damien’s eyes as he looks down at me and my breath feels caught in my throat at the sight. I am captivated by the ethereal sight of his face highlighted by the feathery blue light. I haven’t felt this pull for somebody in months—my affection for Liam having long-dissipated.

I reach out for Damien, my palm finding hold against his chest. His heartbeat pumps steadily beneath my touch. A near-silent prayer whispers across my lips, “Please stay.”

I watch Damien’s brows furrow slightly, likely allowing my words to roll around his mind. The image of moonlight in his eyes etches itself into my mind so vividly I don’t notice he’s moved until the mattress dips next to me. Tonight, I don’t care about how I’ve gotten here. I no longer want to feel trapped in a relationship without love or passion. I don’t want to picture Liam’s face as I placed the ring on the table. For tonight, all I want is to lay myself down and watch the moon cast sweet kisses to Damien’s face.

When I roll onto my side, Damien’s eyes meet mine. I take his arm and lace my fingers with his. He watches me curiously through hooded eyes as I rest my head by his shoulder. I feel a warm contentedness wash through me as we lay side by side, our soft breaths the only sound to fill the room. Ultimately, I know I’ll have to tell him what happened but I let his company lull me into peace a while longer.

Gently tightening my grasp on his hand and without opening my eyes, I breathe out two timid words, “It’s over.”

Damien retracts his arm from my grasp looking at me with an expression I don’t quite understand. His arm stretches up around me as he offers a spot closer to him and I take it instinctively. His arm comes to rest around me and his fingers begin to waltz across my side, instantly soothing any anxieties I had left in my mind. I sink further into his side as he continues to paint ghostly images against my skin. I stare up at him through my lashes, a smile falling easily across my face. I’m starting to notice smiles come easily when I’m with him.

Resting my own arm across his abdomen, I mimic the patterns that he created across his chest. Swirls and spirals, loops and lines, curling designs that crawl vine-like from my fingertips. The soft touches lure Damien into a gentle slumber, his breaths evening out into a slow, rhythmic song.

I rest my head against his chest, the steady rise and fall beckoning me closer to sleep. I take a final glance towards his face, a soft smile settling over me at his peaceful expression before I shut my eyes once more. I murmur a prayer into the comfortable blackness.

“Please stay.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write a story about a reader (gender not clarified) who falls out of love with their partner of a long time and who didn't really expect it because not everybody is terrible at hiding secrets. But I also wanted to highlight that sometimes putting something off for later doesn't make it easier. Even though their relationship seemed perfect it didn't work out and that's just how it goes sometimes.
> 
> I also just really wanted to see Damien's soft side as he is such a sweet guy and would almost certainly be willing to help out by offering support for the reader. So for a last time, I hope you enjoyed and please feel free to leave some comments! 
> 
> XOXO Mel


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